Acts 10:6

Act 10:6 . ξενίζεται , see Act 10:33 . παρὰ θάλασσαν : perhaps to secure water for the purpose of his trade, perhaps because it seems that a tanner was not allowed to carry on his business unless outside the walls of a town, see on Act 9:43 , at a distance of fifty cubits, see Wendt, in loco Hackett, p. 135.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 6. Simon a tanner] See Clarke on Ac 9:43.

What thou oughtest to do.] From this it appears that matters of great moment had occupied the mind of Cornelius. He was not satisfied with the state of his own soul, nor with the degree he possessed of religious knowledge; and he set apart a particular time for extraordinary fasting and prayer, that God might farther reveal to him the knowledge of his will. Perhaps he had heard of Jesus, and had been perplexed with the different opinions that prevailed concerning him, and now prayed to God that he might know what part he should take; and the answer to this prayer is, "Send to Joppa for Simon Peter, he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do." This clause, so explanatory, is wanting in almost every MS. and version of note. Griesbach and some others have left it out of the text. But see Ac 11:14, where it stands in substance.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do] These words are not in the oldest MSS. In Peter’s own account of the visit to Cornelius (Act_11:14) we have “who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved;” and this is one of the numerous instances found in some later texts of the Acts where an attempt has been made to form a complete narrative in the earlier chapters by gathering together and adapting statements which appear in their proper place in later chapters. The prayers of Cornelius had been for more knowledge and greater light, and the angel directs him to the instructor whom he desires. The inserted words probably first appeared as a note on the margin.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, &c. Simon the tanner was his host; this man very probably was a good man, and one that lodged strangers; of his trade; see Gill on Act 9:43.

whose house is by the sea side; Joppa was a sea port, Ch2 2:16 Jon 1:3 hence we read of , "the sea of Joppa" (x); and also of , "the port of Joppa" (y); now Simon's house was in the outer part of the city, and by the sea side, as well for convenience for his business, as because such trades might not be exercised within a city; being nauseous and disagreeable, because of their skins and manner of dressing them, and the dead carcasses from whence they often took them off; hence that rule of the Jews (z),

"they place dead carcasses, graves, , "and a tanner's workshop", (in which he dresses his skins,) fifty cubits from the city; nor do they make a tanner's workshop, but at the eastern part of the city. R. Abika says, it may be made at every part excepting the west.''

The reason of that, as given by the (a) commentators, is, because prayer was made towards the west, where the temple stood, and the divine presence was. The Ethiopic version very wrongly renders it, "and the house of Cornelius is near the sea"; for not his, but Simon's is meant:

he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do; he was to tell him words, or to deliver doctrines to him, by which he and his family would be better instructed in the way of salvation, and arrive to a greater degree of knowledge of Christ, and faith in him, and be brought to a submission to his commands and ordinances; see Act 10:22, this clause is left out in the Alexandrian copy, and in some others, and in the Syriac and Arabic versions.

(x) Ezra iii. 7. Targum in 2 Chron. ii. 16. (y) T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 41. 1. Joseph. Antiqu. l. 11. c. 4. sect. 1. & 13. 9. 1 Maccab. xiv. 5. 1. Esdr. v. 55. (z) Misn. Bava Bathra, c. 2. sect. 9. (a) Maimou. & Bartenora in ib.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.

Ver. 6. With one Simon a tanner] God knoweth all his by name, and condition of life.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He lodgeth - He remains as a guest at his house. See Act 9:43.

By the sea-side - Joppa was a seaport on the Mediterranean. Tanneries are erected on the margin of streams or of any body of water to convey away the filth produced in the operation of dressing skins.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

These particulars, when found true by Cornelius, did very much advantage him towards his believing what Peter in the name of the Lord did tell him.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. A tanner—See note on Act_9:43.

By the sea side—For the sake of the necessary water in preparing the hides, and separate from dwellings on account of fetid and unhealthy odours. The Jewish rule was, “Separate corpses, sepulchres, and tanneries fifty cubits from the city.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The last clause in the A.V. and T.R., "he shall tell thee," etc., is omitted in the R.V.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes on verse 3

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea-side. See notes on 9:43. Tanners were required, by the ancient sanitary laws, to live outside city walls, and had to be near plenty of water (Hackett). Tell thee what thou oughtest to do. As the angel says that his prayer was heard, he had surely prayed that he might know what to do.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

6. οὖτος λαλήσει σοι τί σε δεῖ ποιεῖν omitted with אABCELP. The Vulg. represents these words.

6. The words omitted from the text in this verse (see notes on readings) are an adaptation of Act 11:14, where St Peter is giving an account of his visit to Cornelius, and are another example of the desire naturally prevalent to make the narrative complete in the early chapters by adding on the margin any particulars which can be gathered from the subsequent narrative. Put at first as marginal illustrations and expansions, they found in early times their way into the text through the agency of copyists.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A tanner. Showing that the strictness of the Jewish law was losing its hold on Peter; since the tanner 's occupation was regarded as unclean by strict Jews, and the tanners were commanded to dwell apart. "If a tanner married without mentioning his trade, his wife was permitted to get a divorce. The law of levirate marriage might be set aside if the brother - in - law of the childless widow was a tanner. A tanner 's yard must be at least fifty cubits from any town" (Farrar, " Life and Work of St. Paul ").

By the seaside. Outside the walls, both for proximity to the business, and because of the ceremonial requirement referred to above. Mr. William 100 Prime, describing a visit to Joppa, says : "I was walking along the sea - beach, looking for shells, and at about a fourth of a mile from the city, to the southward, I found two tanneries directly on the seaside. I observed that the rocks in front of them were covered with the water a few inches deep, and that they soaked their hides on these rocks and also submitted them to some process in the water which I did not stop to understand" (" Tent - life in the Holy Land ").

Of them that waited on him continually [προσκαρτερουντων αυτω] . See on ch. Act 1:14.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.